Cigarettes and Psychology
by bigdogneversleeps
Summary: Ino Yamanaka wanted to be left alone in the aftermath of the war against Madara and Co. Gaara was looking for a place to contemplate in the aftermath as well. Both ended up in the same pair of rocks and got to talking. Talking that led to a connection being formed that would grow into much more
1. Chapter 1

I know I shouldn't really be putting new things on my plater, but I started this fanfic like a year ago. My secondary OTP is InoXGaara, which started even before fanfiction with those old flash animations where the characters sang popular songs. One of the more famous ones had Ino singing this hardcore- metal type song and Gaara falling for her, and I agreed they were a nice couple. And fanficers like yuugiri only increased this OTP in my eyes, and then Kishimoto ruins it with InoSai. Yeah, so, we are ignoring that and going with this, which happens in the aftermath of chapter 699. This is a pet project, and won't affect my main schedule. This is a side project, but one I hope you really 's go.

…..

Ino Yamanaka was not the type of girl who would pick up smoking on a whim.

In Team 8, the smoking had been left to their sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, and then the lazy ass, Shikamaru Nara. Ino had never seen the appeal in smoking, and thought it was a disgusting one that could hurt you as a shinobi. All of the medical classes from the Godiame Hokage, Tsunade, had taught her about the effects smoking could have on your lungs and the rest of your body. Destroying your lungs, your teeth, and even your brain, tobacco and nicotine were a terrible combination. She had swore after that three hour lesson that she would never touch those death sticks that would hurt her career as a shinobi.

Then again, being a fan girl hurts your career as a shinobi, but that didn't stop her from being a major Sasuke fan girl for the first part of her career. So here she was, cigarette hanging off her lips, looking both in and out of place.

She found herself alone in the aftermath of their victory, and that was exactly what she wanted. Well, not exactly. To tell the truth, she would rather be in the comfort of her friends and allies. But anybody who had seen her since the fighting ended would just keep asking her the same stupid questions. 'How are you doing?' or 'Are you all right?' and 'How are you handling your loss?' or telling her, 'Sorry about your father.' or 'Your dad was a good man.' The answers to the questions were obvious. Of course she fucking wasn't alright. Her father was just blown to bits by some monster half a continent away, and she swore she had fucking heard it coming. Of course she wasn't going to be okay. She also just fought in a god damn war, had to coordinate things so everyone didn't fucking die, and was so goddamn exhausted she couldn't even sleep. She wasn't exactly handling it well. Her dad died and she probably was forced to listen to his last moments. But they don't want to hear the truth, they just think they are supposed to say that and hear some standard response from her and move on and try to suppress their emotions.

Her clan members weren't helping the matter either with their condolences, as they tried to compliment her father, making him into a goddamn saint just because he had died. But he wasn't. He was a terrible husband to her mother, since they always fought and rarely seemed happy with each other. He was a shitty cook that always burnt the fish and made the broth lukewarm and would ask her stupid questions like if she was dating her best male friends in Shikamaru and Choji. He was bad at comforting her with her problems, and was lazy in doing the housework that he said he would do.

Dear Kami, she wished he was with her right now.

She almost broke down yet again, but quickly composed herself and took a drag from the cigarette she had gotten from Shikamaru. He knew she didn't want to hear anything about her father, but instead told her about how smoking calmed him down. The look in his eyes convinced her better than anything else. She had taken her past enemy, and a match as well, and wandered off by herself in the wasteland their foe had created. She always thought it was difficult to get the hang of smoking at first, but she was apparently a natural at it.

She got to thinking again, and realized how pointless this war was. Some lunatic from her great grandfather's generation wanted to make the world into his perfect twisted image and killed hundreds of shinobis, thousands honestly, to only fail in the end and get himself destroyed. And apparently there was some other villain that he had resurrected that had destroyed him and could manipulate reality that only got defeated because Naruto and Sasuke, who was a good guy all of a sudden in the middle of this, got the power to seal her because they spoke to the person who discovered chakra, the Rikudo Sennin. At least, according to Sakura.

Then there was the odd meta-thinking about how this might be their perfect reality and that guy Madara had won and how convenient it was for Naruto and Sasuke to apparently have gotten that power boost right when they needed it and were destined to-she was stopping her train of thought. Thinking about it would either get her angry, paranoid, and confused. She hadn't even got to fight between Naruto and Sasuke out of nowhere and how they both had lost an arm. She instead focused on how her job would be easier from then on. This peace between the major hidden villages and most of the minor ones would make everything less complicated. Sure, there would still be missions with missing nins and guarding merchants and killing civilian criminals, but there would be less worrying about pissing off a village and having a blood feud from occurring.

She took another drag from her cigarette and looked up at the moon that was the center of the lunatic's fantasy. It seemed very bright, like a midnight sun. There was probably something really poetic in that statement, but she didn't care enough to figure it out. She was just wishing at this point that her body would let her sleep. She rested her hand of the rock she was sitting on, created no doubt by one of the shockwaves of the battle. Her senses were still hardwired that something major was about to occur, even though the danger had passed. It was probably latching onto the vibes that still exited from the spirit of that Tobi/Obito masked guy who had died on their side and had given his power to Kakashi. Again, according to Sakura. Either that, or she needed a nice soft pillow. Probably the latter.

She suddenly decided to herself that her teammates were lucky. She don't know why her mind went there, but her exhausted brain was just all over the place, so it didn't matter. But they were. Each had someone that could comfort them at this moment. Though she truly did feel for Chouza, the poor man. He had been tied to the hip with them for over twenty years, but was totally helpless as they perished miles away. At least he had his son to help him through this period. Shikamaru might have lost his dad, but he had Temari to help him. Temari was… something to him. Something Ino could never be, and wasn't interested in being. She was woman enough to admit her jealousy, she wish she had something like that with someone. It would be sometime before they acknowledge this something, but her woman senses knew it was there.

At that moment, she realized that the rock she was resting on felt odd. It felt more…gritty, more sandy, more moving. She suddenly felt the presence of a non-hostile presence behind her, so she swung her neck around to see Gaara Subaku, the Kazekage, standing stone-faced behind her, arms crossed. She pushed herself up off the rock, taking the cigarette out of her mouth and bowing in front of him. "Hello, Kazekage."

She waited for him to respond to her, but all he did was continue walking until he came to a rock pile next to hers, sitting down. She noticed he was without his gourd. She didn't know the man that well, that was more Shikamaru's thing. She knew he was calm and collected, a changed man from the beast she had seen all those years ago. She waited for him to say something, but he remained silent for about a minute. Seeing that he was not looking for conversation, she decided to take another drag from the cigarette. She realized that it was almost all ash on the ground, so she knew she had to make it count..

Gaara took a glance over to her, something she noticed out of the corner in the eye. "I did not realize you smoked, Yamanaka." He said in a surprised tone.

She shifted all her attention towards him and slowly blew out the smoke. "I don't. Unless this one gets me addicted, I bummed it off Shikamaru since he said these things help him get calm. Considering what it takes to get him riled, I guess these must work wonders."

Gaara internalized these comments before nodding. "I see. You are trying to relieve your tensions that were built up during the recent combat."

Ino shook her head. "Maybe a little, but it is more from all the sympathy everyone is showing me."

Gaara cocked his head. He had not expected that answer. "Sympathy? That is stressing you out?" He took a moment to think, remembering some of the update the Kages had heard from the woman before him. The shinobi headquarters had been destroyed by the Juubi, which had among those stationed Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara. "Why would people feeling sorry for your father's death stress you out so?"

Ino tapped the ash off her cigarette. The Kazekage seemed like someone she could talk to without all the bullshit attached. That was one thing she had noticed in previous interactions with him, but it was a blessing at the moment. She needed catharsis. "Because everyone is feeling sorry for me. Listening to dozens of people say the same damn things to me, it gets to me." She shook her head, secretly glad that someone was allowing her to vent on them. "I'm not that stressed, it's more that I'm pissed. If one more person apologizes about my father to me, they are going to be missing a few teeth. They all sound so insincere." She let out a giant sigh. "They sound like it is their job to say it."

Gaara listened to what she said before gathering his thoughts. "It is considered common courtesy. As well, they have just been through a war." Ino realized that was very true, but she didn't have time to respond as he continued. "You know, Yamanaka, I think I may understand how you feel. If the rest of Suna discovers how I had to fight my reincarnated father, they may react in a similar manner."

Ino turned to him. "But from what Shikamaru told me, Temari said he was an asshole who tried to kill you all the time. No offense." She bluntly told him, before taking another drag. Talking with Gaara wasn't so bad, she told herself. He was a lot smarter than she thought he would be, and a lot more human.

"While he did try to kill me, it is an automatic response to feel sympathy when one comes into conflict with one's parents. They would feel sorry I had to suffer that endeavor, not that I had to fight him." Gaara wisely explained.

Ino eyed him. "That sounds like an advanced psychological analysis. So is the Kazekage interested in that sort of thing?" She blew out the smoke. Definitely smart. She wondered if he had read it, or had been taught it in becoming Kazekage.

He shrugged, which Ino felt looked weird with him. "After Naruto helped me recover, I realized I lacked social experience and understandings. Therefore, I spent some months between missions reading up on psychology. My inability to sleep gave me extra time to learn as much as I could in a span of a few months. While one would not consider me a 'normal' person, I am not as awkward or abnormal as one would normally be with such a key developmental period being experienced under a fit of insanity."

Ino was impressed by his drive and gave him a smile. "A regular genius, huh? Have you ever played Shikamaru in shogi? You might stand a great chance in beating him."

Gaara could not help but smirk. "I have. I defeated him the first time we played. He defeated me the next game, and we haven't determined who was better. Temari was quite jealous of my accomplishment. They have played dozens of times, according to her, and she always loses badly." He took a momentary break, and asked Ino, "Yamanaka, do you believe that my sister and Shikamaru have feelings for one another. They deny it, but…"

"Oh, they totally do." Ino interrupted him. "Even Naruto can see it. And if Naruto can see the tension, then there is something going on between them. But from I can tell, it will only start if Temari lowers her standards to dating someone of lower rank, or Shikamaru reluctantly becomes a jonin. Figuring with this war, I'm guessing it is the latter."

Gaara began to nod. "He is most worthy of jonin status. However, I do worry about the logistics of a cross-village relationship with two highly skilled operatives."

Ino had to process that for a moment. "You mean like it being long distance, or do you mean about stuff like which village a child would belong too?"

"Both," Gaara told her, "even as allies, such questions will be difficult to navigate if they come to fruition."

Ino thought about what he said for a moment, and then began to shake her head. "You know what? I came out to the middle of nowhere to relax, so let's drop the subject. And I don't know much about village politics, so I will sound dumb talking to an expert like you. So how about we sit down, and look at the stars. If you don't mind, Kazekage." She was quick to add to her rather blunt outburst.

Gaara simply nodded. "I came out here looking for a moment of solace as well. Star-gazing seems like a suitable pastime." Gaara then laid down on his rock pile and looked to the sky. Ino looked towards him, then the cigarette, and then up to the sky. After smushing the cigarette on the side of the rock and tossing the butt away from her, she followed suit.

The stars were shining brightly that night despite the full moon, and Ino began to trace random constellations out of the star clusters, muttering to herself whenever she picked one out.

"Those look like a snake."

"Those kinda look like a turtle."

"They kind of looks like a bag of chips. " A quick chuckle. "Star flavored."

"There is a cat's face in the north quadrant." Ino sat up from the unexpected words from Gaara. She hadn't realized he had heard her muttering

"A cat's face?" She asked, beginning to search the sky for it. "Where?"

He sat up slightly, resting on his elbows, and beckoned Ino to his rock. "I will show you from here." Ino listened to him as she was quickly next to him on his rock.

Gaara pointed to the sky. "Those 3 stars", as he pointed to a misshapen circle in the sky, "those make up its face while those two above are the tips of its ears." He pointed to them very precisely, and Ino saw them immediately "And finally, those three stars parallel to the left of its face and two stars on its right are his whiskers. All in all, a cat's face." He finished before lying back down.

Ino was impressed. "I never would have seen that." She turned to Gaara before flashing him a smile. "You are really good at this."

Gaara didn't have a reaction to that comment. "I only began because I heard you."

Ino blushed slightly in embarrassment. "I apologize, Kazekage. I didn't mean to interrupt your relaxation."

Gaara shook his head slightly. "My mind does not do well when it wonders. Something to keep it grounded is welcomed."

Ino looked at him, but couldn't find what was the right response. So instead, she laid next to him on the rock, which had ample room for them both, and began to look to the sky again.

"You know, if I had to redo the whole cocoon thing, I think I would rather dream of doing stuff like this." Ino confessed during the silent star-gazing.

Gaara cocked an eyebrow, but did not turn towards her. "What was your perfect reality, if you do not mind me asking, Yamanaka?"

Ino shook her head. "It was nice, don't get me wrong, but it was so hectic. I was the queen bee in my world, with the guys I find good-looking falling all over my feet and my team listening to every word I say. God, saying that out loud makes me seem so shallow." She face-palmed internally at the realization.

"It sounds to me like in your world, you wanted control over your life, something that no one could blame you for." Gaara analyzed casually.

Ino knew that was pretty much the facts in a nutshell, but now she was curious. "If you do not mind me asking, Kazekage, what was your reality of?"

Gaara stopped for a minute, before sitting up. Ino followed suit, but why she didn't know. Slowly his thoughts came to him, and he began to speak. "My dream was a longing for happiness. I had a happy childhood, good friends like Naruto with me all my life, loving parents. All things this world did not give me." He turned to Ino. "I do love this world, and this reality is ultimately better than my dream, but it was…" Gaara pondered for a moment for the word before he finally settled on one. "Nice."

Ino understood exactly what he meant. Even though she was embarassed to talk about, her dream world was quite nice and enjoyable. It was, well, a dream. But knowing what was real, and earning it, was more satisfying. And it wasn't like the dream was forever out of grasp, she told herself. The future could fulfill it, or give you something better that you never imagined. But she didn't tell Gaara all that. Instead, she just agreed with him. "It was, wasn't it."

Remembering what was in her kunai pocket, she fiddled it open and pulled out the two remaining cigarettes she had with her. She hadn't really wanted to use them but... shit, did she really get hooked that quickly? Deciding to leave it be, she offered one to Gaara. "You want one. It is a good stress reliever."

Gaara paused before taking it between two fingers. "I have seen Shikamaru smoke, and was curious as to how they taste.."

"Horrible." Ino informed him, putting hers between her mouth. Between her lips, she continued. "It's horrible, but it gets better fast." She pulled out the matches she had with her and struck it. She lit hers first before moving the flickering flame over to Gaara, seeing if he wanted her to light it.

He put the cigarette in the flame just as it was dying, and paused for a second when he saw it was ready to be smoked. Then, he kept his two finger technique and took a puff, lightly coughing as he exhaled. Ino nodded at the effort, as she took her first drag of cigarette. She carefully grabbed it from him just above his fingers with one hand, and moved his one hand into the more standard smoking technique. She placed his cigarette in the right spot and explained. "It feels a lot more comfortable to hold it like that, at least for me. You looked awkward holding it like that, Kazakage."

He looked at the repositioned smoke in his hands, and gave a small look of agreement. "It does feel more natural, holding it like this. Thank you Yamanaka."

"If you don't mind, Kazekage, could you call me Ino? It is faster to say, and I prefer people I like to call me that anyway." Ino admitted to him. They had only been like this for a short time, but it felt like they had become much less distant than before.

Gaara nodded. "If you do not mind calling me Gaara over Kazekage. We are friendly, and in private discussion. There is no need to be so formal."

Ino thought it over, and agreed. "You're right... Gaara."

"Well thank you, Ino." He responded. With that, they returned to silence as they smoked and looked over the altered landscape.

Ino hated to break up this comfortable silence, but she was curious. "So what made you come out here? I mean, I know you said you wanted to get away, but from what?"

Gaara paused, the cigarette inches from his lips as he was about to take a drag, before letting his hand drop to his side.

"Failing them."

"Failing who?" Ino wasn't sure what he meant.

He turned towards her, and she saw the regretful look on his face. She understood that whomever he failed meant a lot to him. "My shinobi. I know they knew that this was a war, but it was my job to protect them. And I didn't do a good enough job. When we return to Suna in the next few days, I will have to tell my people that I lost hundreds of our shinobi. That dozens of fathers and mothers, of brothers and sister, sons and daughters are gone, because I failed them."

"You know that isn't true. You did as much as you could for everyone out there. Anyone who accused you of failing has obviously never been a shinobi." Ino tried to comfort him. She, hesitantly, began to rub his back with her free hand in a comforting manner. It seemed like the right move. "I bet you know that, too. You... want to feel guilty, even though it doesn't make sense. But you didn't do anything wrong, it was the people who we fought fault."

The look of regret softened. "Perhaps. I feel like I must protect everyone from my village. And it feels like I...could have done more." He let out a sigh, and took a drag.

Ino stopped rubbing back with her free hand and followed suit. She exhaled the smoke and told the truth. "Maybe you could. Maybe you couldn't. But feeling sorry for yourself won't help... shit, this sounds like what someone should be telling me. That it isn't my fault, and I need to get over it sooner rather than later."

Gaara looked toward Ino. "Did you really think it is your fault your father was killed?"

Ino looked away. "...A bit. If we could have stopped them sooner... but like I was trying to tell you. What happened, happened. We have to live with the facts and move on, cause life doesn't stop for you. Something is on the horizon that we need to be prepared for, whether it is good or bad." She looked towards Gaara, who was giving her a real smile. He obviously liked the inspirational quote she pulled out of her ass. And he looked surprisingly good with a smile on his face.

"You are correct, Ino. I have already used advice like that, in order to move on from my past with Suna when I let Shukaku control over me. I simply need to use it again. And you need to abide to your own advice as well." Gaara wisely proclaimed.

Ino nodded. "Yeah, I guess I do. Thanks, Gaara. Talking with you is so much easier than with other people. You actually listen and think." She gave a short laugh. "Choji only listen, and Shikamaru only thinks. It can be kind of hard to have a great conversation with them."

Gaara nodded. "I agree. It is easy to talk with you as well. You are not afraid to tell me the truth in how you feel."

Ino nodded to that, giving a smile. She took one final puff of her cigarette and threw it on the ground beneath her feet, squashing it with her foot. Gaara took his final drag and followed suit. Both looked at each other, and knew what the other was thinking.

"We've been out here for a while. We should probably get back to camp so people know we didn't run away or something." Ino told him, stretching as she stood up.

Gaara gave a nod. "I agree. I am honestly surprised we have not heard the calls for a rescue team. I was not vocal in my exit from camp, so I suspect they would be worried."

Ino thought about that for a moment, but a reason was clear. "Well, we do have Hyuga's at camp. They probably could spot us even this far out, and know where we are." Her face grimaced for a moment. "I hope it doesn't start rumors. I don't want people to think I tried seducing you, Gaara."

"Do you have such a reputation in Konoha?" He asked, interested as he stood himself up.

She shook her head. "No, but I am really pretty and outgoing, so rumors would start no matter what. I'm sure you are aware of how much people love gossip."

Gaara thought back on a few moments in his recent past in Suna, and nodded. "People do love to gossip when they know nothing on the matter, don't they?"

"Well, I'm not one to talk." Ino said as she slowly began her walk to the camp. "I am known for loving to gossip and listen to gossip. It would be hypocritical to hate it when gossip forms about me."

Gaara followed. "Well, we will see if we get there if people think something happened between us. If they realized we were interacting with each other at all."

Ino agreed. "Yeah, they might only realize it if we do something obvious, like walk into camp with one another." She stopped. "So I will continue and enter back into the camp from the west, while you continue to come in from the South. It was nice speaking to you like this, Gaara. I hope we can talk like this again soon."

"How about the next time you come to my village? We could have dinner in private, so we can talk like this again." Gaara asked her.

Ino blushly slightly. "Gaara, if I didn't know better, I would assume you were asking me on a date."

"I was."

Ino couldn't stop the look of shock that came over here. The Kazekage was asking her on a date? What? "You were! I mean, um, wouldn't it make more sense if it she was from Suna..." Ino stumbled over her words. Not many guys had asked her out, and no one with the stature and out-of-nowhereness of Gaara!

"I wish to go on a date with you, Ino. Not someone from my village. I like talking with you, and I want to get to know you better. And a date with someone as beautiful as you would be an honor, regardless." Gaara complimented her, causing her to fully blush.

"Beautiful! You are quite the smooth talker. And, I mean, the honor would be mine. I mean, you're the Kazekage-" Gaara cut Ino off.

"You make it sound like a fairy tale, where the prince dates the beautiful commoner. This is real life, and we are equals. So, again, I ask if you want to have a date over dinner the next time you are in Suna."

"You are being quite assertive." Ino noted with a lighter tone. She liked this side of him as well. Forceful, but reasonable.

"I once read that relationships are only formed when one takes action. That is all that I am doing." Gaara told her.

Ino only had to think about it for a moment. "It sounds like a great idea. I can't promise how soon I will be able to come to Suna, but when it happens, I hope you'll have a good date in mind." Ino gave him a smile.

"It will probably be a few months, so I'll have time to plan something. Until then, Ino, stay safe." He flashed a smile back and headed in the direction she told him to go.

"Stay safe as well, Gaara! And you better have pudding planned after dinner!" She told him, making sure he knew of her favorite sweet. He didn't turn back, but raised a hand in recognition. She was happy to see that. She hadn't expected to come back from this temporary exile she put herself on happy, but here she was. She still missed her father greatly, and this war sucked, but she looking forward to tomorrow. And a date with a certain handsome red-head. She began making her way in a loop to the western portion of the camp. She wondered if she could keep this a secret until then.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Review and Enjoy!

...

Ino Yamanaka knew that she had a date for some time in the future. She was serious about this date, so any wandering eyes for Sai and Sasuke were quickly corrected and put into their place. But, it also didn't consume her. Maybe it was because he was so far away, like the old saying goes. Out of sight, out of mind. So she instead focused on adjusting to life in Konoha. She began a bit of T&I work on the side of her normal shinobi duties, and found herself growing more and more independent. Her old days of working in her mother's flower shop seemed to end as she worked harder as a kunoichi and trained more often. It would be a lie to say it wasn't the one-two punch of father figures leaving her life that pushed her to throw more of her life in her work. The days became far more simple.

Wake up. Clean Up. Breakfast Up. Walk Up to the team meeting spot. Wake Shikamaru Up. Walk up to the Hokage Tower. Get a mission. Go out for days. Do it. Come home. Go to sleep. Wake up. Bother Sakura. Train. Bother other friends. Wake Up. Clean Up. Breakfast Up.

After nearly three months of this steady routine, she found herself thinking a bit more about the date. When was she going to be able to go to Suna? Would the great Kazekage still want to go on a date with her? Was it the stress of the events? She actually took the time in early January to send him a letter by hawk messenger using a simple code phrase that she knew he would understand.

 _Will we be having pudding?_

She waited a few days before she got her response, that made her smile.

 _The cat is getting hungry for it._

A few days later, the cat could begin to rest its hungry stomach. She was called into the Hokage's office during a taijutsu spar with a fellow Yamanaka chunin, along with her teammates Choji and Shikamaru. Tsunade was relaxed in her office, relaxing Ino as well. It wasn't them having screwed up anywhere at least. Tsunade began to speak.

"I have an B-Rank mission for you three. It's nothing major, I just need you to carry a few scrolls to Suna and retrieve a few back."

"What sort of scrolls?" Choji asked, curious.

Tsunade gave a shrug. "Nothing too vital. Mainly medical techniques we have been discussing sending Konoha exchanging with them. The scrolls we will be receiving will be some of the personal notes from a deceased Suna unoichi, Chiyo. She was a master poison crafter, so receiving information in order to recreate them if needed is probably a smart thing to do. You can stay the night in Suna, I know your team are highly regarded by the Kazekage and his siblings. Just don't dilly-dally too long. You'll get the scrolls in the morning, 8 AM sharp. You hear that Nara? I said 8."

Shikamaru muttered. "I'm not deaf. I have never been late to a mission." He defended himself.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "That may be true, but when I say morning you tend to show up after 10, and the afternoon means close to 3 for you. So 8 AM sharp, you got it?" The three shinobi showed they understood. "Good, now prepare. Nothing should happen, but who knows what weird things could come up." With that farewell, Team Ten left the Hokage's tower.

Choji stretched, and got out a bag of barbeque potato chips. "Well, got to tell dad we won't be training tomorrow. Want to meet up for dinner at the usual?" He asked casually. Shikamaru nodded in agreement, but she shook her head.

"I already promised to eat with someone else. I have to get going anyway. See you two tomorrow. At 8, understand Shikamaru?" She teased her teammates before leaving. She could hear his annoyed grunt as she hopped away.

The truth was there was no one Ino was eating with. She had to do things. She had to tell her date that she was coming, Actually, she thought to herself, he would already know. His message had made him seem impatient, did he pull strings to get her team a mission to Suna sooner rather than later? She was moved by it. That meant she had to do her part, which was look nice. She had to figure out the right dress, and shoes, and maybe even jewelry! She knew he wouldn't care if she came off the battlefield for the date, but she wanted to look good. She also wanted to look good for him, it was her nature to peacock in these situations. She rushed home, ignoring her mother as she began to raid her closet, looking for the right outfit.

He would probably be wearing that maroon tunic he always wear, Ino decided. Besides his Kage robes, she had never seen the man wear anything else. But then again, he could try to dress up in something special. It was his first date. She had gone on a few with admirers between the time Sasuke left and Naruto returned, which flipped Konoha upside down, but it never got past the second date. It was usually right around the time they went in for a real kiss that she knew there was nothing between them and rejected it. She was saving her first kiss for someone who was worth it. Which was odd to think about, she was a 17 year old bombshell but she had never been kissed! Well, that was another reason to hope for this date to go well. She didn't want to turn into Shizune, though she did care for her like a sister. She was getting to be 30-ish and didn't have any male suitors. Not that anything was wrong with that lifestyle, but Ino wasn't Shizune.

But of course she wasn't going to force it. At heart, this Yamanaka was a romantic, she wanted to be able to tell her kids about the wonderful romance her and their father shared. And the first kiss was part of that mystique. She shrugged to herself though. They were shinobi. She was going to go with black, the uncolor that went with every color. She was thinking dress, but she had found a pair of black pants that fit her perfectly and had this cute sweater that wasn't really a sweater and it showed a lot of neck but it was just perfect. The dress could be saved for the third date, once she knew if he was a keeper. Plus, a dress was impractical if fighting broke out. And knowing what how her generation of shinobi luck was like, it was a feasible reality. She would have to go with a thin necklace. A cute pendant, maybe a heart? Ino knew exactly which one would work to.

She rushed from her closet to her jewelry box on her table, leafing through her collection of necklaces until she found...there! Gently, she pulled it into the open and looked at it. It was real gold through and through, and had cost a fortune. The heart pendant doubled as a potrait, so she popped it open to see if there was a picture held within.

Of course there was. How could she forget? It was the picture of her and her dad celebrating her promotion to chunin. He had gotten her this as the reward for doing so. They had a small party when the Nara and Akimichi and Sakura and Tenten and a few family friends were invited. They ate and danced and had fun. It was one of her best memories of her and her dad. She felt them coming. She wanted to hold them at bay, but it wasn't working. Fuck, she was gonna start crying. She used her wrists to rub her eyes, cutting off the tears before they formed. Then she heard a cough, and turned around. With a sad but gentle face, her mother was smiling at her.

"He was so happy that night. He was bragging to Chouza and Shikaku for days about how his little girl got a promoted after working so hard and was the first kunoichi of her year to become a chunin. Shikaku tried to remind him that his son was already a chunin, and made it before anyone from the year before your class. Or that Sakura had become a chunin at the same time, or that Chouji got to chunin as well, but Inoichi didn't care. His Ino was finally a chunin" Her mother told her, eyes locked on the necklace in her daughter's hand, a warm smile on her face.

Ino just nodded her head. "Yeah, I remember. I just... I didn't expect it to hit me like this. It's been months-" Her mother walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"My mom died when you were maybe 2, and it took me two years to make kimchi without balling my eyes out. The weird thing is, I hated my mom's kimchi." She let out a laugh, which was unexpectedly mimicked.

"I guess we are alike that way, huh?" They both kept, before her mom caught the insult. She bopped her on the head lightly, shaking her head.

"You know, just for that, I'm making it with every meal this week." She threatened her daughter.

"Good luck with that. " She informed her. "I'm going to Suna for a mission, and you know how long that takes. Have fun eating that much fermented veggies!"

Her mother raised her eyebrow. "Suna? That doesn't make any sense."

Now Ino had the confused look on her face. "What do you mean, mom?"

She pointed to the black outfit laid out, and the necklace in hand. "Well, unless my teenage years were secretly overdubbed by your father in secret, this looks like you are preparing for a date." She gave Ino a knowing look. "Unless... the boy is from Suna?"

Ino blushed at her mother's intentiveness and looked away, outing herself completely. Her mother's eyebrows raised completely. "Really, a Suna boy! That is surprising. I mean, I know that Shikaku's son has that thing with the Kazekage's sister, but you? When did this happen? Did he come to the village or what?"

She knew she was caught, so she told the relative truth. "No, it was after the battle. I needed some alone time, and he did too. We talked, and he asked me out. I thought we connected, so I said yeah."

"But honey, that was three months ago. I don't mean to be harsh on this boy, but they are very fickle. Do you know if you aren't just some side girl for him? Or that the date is still going to happen? Have you contacted him at all? I don't want you taking your nice clothes all the way to Suna for nothing." Her mother was worried for her daughter. She felt like those were legitimate claims she was making about this mysterious Sand boy.

"Mom, I'm not an idiot. I did check up a few weeks ago, and he sent me something last week about how he was hoping it would happen soon too. And you don't have to worry about him being a playboy or anything. He is the exact opposite of that, more of the loner type." The confident young woman replied, getting up from her bed. She was walking around the room to collect her date outfit and put it away.

"You mean like that Sasuke that you crushed on for years when you were little?" Ino didn't have a response to that little jab at her prior fangirling. "Look, I am just worried. How do you know if this will work out?"

"I don't." She bluntly confessed. "Me and Gaara both know this might be a one time thing, or it could be more. That's why it is a date, and that we are not dating." She emphasized her point. She noticed her mother mouthing something to her self. She tried to read her lips. Gada? Hara? Hada? It was obvious to her now, but why would she be mouthing his name...

She told her mother his name.

"Gaara? As in the Kazakage Gaara?"

Shit.

"Honey, are you on a date with the kage of another village?" Her mother was shocked by this news.

She calmed herself down and replied with a perfect lie. "Of course not, mom. There is more than one person named that in Sunagakure. He is a chunin that is a year older than me." She told her mother in a manner that was right enough for her to believe it, but not too perfectly as to rouse suspicion. Being a damn good kunoichi had its benefits.

Her mother bonked her forehead. "Of course! That makes sense. Still, one heck of a coincidence. What does he look like?"

She had no problem answering this lie. "Well, if I had to describe it to you, imagine Shikamaru but three inches taller, short black hair, and eyes that look like they aren't about to fall asleep. That is the closest I can think." She would have to tell her the truth eventually if it worked out, but she didn't want her mom spreading gossip on a non-issue while she was away.

Her mother was satisfied. "Alright, he sounds nice. I'll leave you to packing, I bet you aren't going to Suna just for a date, am I right?" Her mother watched her nod in response "Alrighty then, I'll leave you to it. And honey, this needs to be said. Don't put out on the first date." A long pause came between the two before a pillow was thrown at her mother's face.

"Mom, you are starting to sound like Dad! I know that!" She was flustered at the sexual advice from her parents. Everyone gets flustered when they get sexual advice from their parents

…

Kami knew that Ino Yamanaka was a goddamn magician, along with being a kickass kunoichi and mirror model extraordinaire. Not only had she thoroughly knocked her mom off the scent, she had also wrangled a promise that she wouldn't talk about it until she got back. And she had found the perfect set of heels to go with her outfit. They were maybe an inch, but looked great and complimented her outfit fantastically. She had managed to seal them away in a basic storage seal that was laying around, so it wouldn't get lost. And she was making sure that this scroll in no way came into contact with the mission's scrolls. That would be a disaster. A kid looking to have his mobility repaired by a medic shinobi, only to be greeted with an awesome outfit. Tragic.

They left the day before, and were going to arrive the day after. It took time to travel to Suna, especially with Shikamaru leading the mission. He totally deserved the promotion he got, but did it really mean he had to be the team boss? Yeah, he was a planner, but she was a natural leader! Leaders led, planners plan, its basic Life 101.

It was getting late, so Shikamaru used it as an excuse to call for camp for the night. She didn't like it and thought about protesting, but she knew it would look suspicious that she wanted to get to Suna faster. She had no reason to want to get this mission done as fast as possible, so it would look out of place. Instead, she just called Shikamaru a lazyass and began to set up camp with them. They had been doing it for years, so it was quick. And dinner was nothing interesting, just a spare bag of potato chips Choji offered to his teammates. All they had eaten that day were bland energy bars, so the sour cream and onion flavor was especially good after that. They didn't really chat much, more focused on being aware and staying warm on this oddly brisk January night. As twilight turned into night, she found herself unable to sleep. She was trying to shut her eyes, but they refused to listen to her. So, instead of forcing it for the next few hours, only to wake up miserable the next day, Ino got up from her sleeping roll and went tree climbing.

The trees weren't especially high near the Suna border, so she didn't have to climb high to get a view of the night sky. She settled down on the branch and rested her head against the trunk of the tree, and looked up. It was the first time since that night she had gone stargazing, so she tried to find the things she found before. It took a little adjusting to the new angle she was looking at them from, but she started to find them.

"Let's see, those are Choji's star flavored potato chips. And I think that was a snake. I don't know, I don't think it was 6 stars. And that has to be the turtle. But how the hell did I get turtle? That looks more like Rock Lee's head than a turtle. And that... that looks familiar. A box with lines? I didn't do any boxes with lines." Then it hit her. That wasn't the constellation she had found. It was the one Gaara had pointed out to her The cat.

With a smile, she began to trace it with her fingers. She remembered his instructions on how to see it vividly. It was in a perfect instructors voice, definitely something nice on a guy. He would tell you things properly, instead of being an idiot like Shikamaru who would be vague and get annoyed if you can't decipher his mumbles. She swore, for being a super-genius he was a giant idiot. Not like him... wait a second. She was starting to sound like a fangirl. She shook her head of that nonsense, she was a woman (or portended herself to be one) and she would act like it. She was beginning to ramble to herself, and she was starting to get drowsy. Apparently stargazing could also act as a sleep-inducer for her. Not wanting to fall off the tree when she was snoozing, she jumped down branch to branch, before lightly landing on the forest floor below. So of course, Shikamaru's eyes were wide open and looking at her.

"Still up?" He asked her with an indifferent tone.

Ino let out a yawn. She was getting tired finally. "Only for a few more minutes. I had to move around for a bit, but I finally can clonk out."

Shikamaru let out a yawn and closed his eyes. "Yeah, tomorrow we get to Suna, and you can get to whatever you have waiting their for you."

Ino had been heading to her bed roll but was now stopped. Shikamaru continued. "You have been a bit anxious since the trip started and wanting to get to Suna faster. I expected you to protest me setting camp so early today. What's in Suna?" She knew what was happening. Shikamaru was like a brother, and he was wondering what his big sister (she was the older one!) was on edge about. If it was Konoha it would make more sense, but he was the one who had something waiting for him in Suna (though he would never admit it.)

So she decided to be blunt but vague. "You'll know when I find it." She cryptically responded, climbing into her bedroll.

She thought Shikamaru had gone back to sleep, but she heard him say in his sleepy haze. "Troublesome. It is probably a sale or something." The blonde kunoichi laughed to herself. Like she would be this excited for sales in Suna. The good ones happened in May, not January. Her mind drifted from Suna shopping to the red haired date she was going to see tomorrow as she fell asleep. She really was obsessing, wasn't she?

…

They woke up early, and changed into proper desert gear that they packed before leaving. Even though it was winter, the sun was still bright and sunburn, sun poison and sunstroke were all in the realm of possibilty. They took a short water break at an oasis around noon, and found themselves in the late afternoon finally reaching the city of Sunagakure. Team Asuma were well known entities and were expected, so getting in and making their way to the Kazekage's tower was a fast process. She refused to show it, but she was getting a bit nervous. He knew they were coming around now, so she wondered if he was getting nervous as well. Would he show it, or hide it under his cool exterior? Had he kept it a secret as well, or did he let it slip to his siblings? She wondered this as they were taken up the stairs to the tower and to the Kazekage's office. She could hear the yelling of Temari from behind the door, but couldn't quite make out the words. The shinobi guiding them seemed use to this, and casually interrupted the argument, announcing they had arrived. That was when Ino began hearing Temari clearly.

"Shikamaru Nara, I am going to kick your ass so badly, they will be finding pieces of it in the desert for the next 100 years." Well damn, what did he do?

"What did I do?" He didn't know?

"I don't know how you did it, but now Gaara smoke cigarettes! And don't say it wasn't you, you are the only person he knows well that smokes!" Well shit, she did that.

"Temari, please calm down. I have told you this before, it was not Shikamaru-san that introduced me to smoking. Do not verbally assault your boyfriend like that." For the first time in months, she heard Gaara's voice. It was the same as she recalled it. She began to look around at the inside of the office, and saw only Gaara and Temari there. Temari was glaring at Gaara at the moment, while Gaara coolly looked back, in full Kazekage robe and hat.

"Boyfriend? Since when did Shikamaru become my boyfriend?" Temari wanted to beat her brother obviously, but knew it was largely futile. She glared at him even more fiercely, however.

"Is he not a boy, and is he not your friend? Therefore, he is your boy friend. Akimichi-san would also be a boy friend, and Yamanaka-san would be your girl friend." Ino wanted to laugh. He was trolling his sister! She didn't know it was in him. Gaara didn't show it on his face, but Ino knew he was smirking internally. "However, I do think he could be your equal." He turned to Shikamaru with a straight face and told him, "Shikamaru-san, if you should decide to, you have my permission to date Temari, both as Kazekage and her brother."

Both Shikamaru and Temari looked embarrassed at this turn of events, and Gaara knew he had won this round. So, from a place behind his desk, Gaara casually grabbed a lit cigarette and took a puff. Temari noticed and sent a glare at Shikmaru, ignoring his exhale into the unfilled space of the office. Ino felt sorry for Shikamaru, he was innocent. However, Gaara decided to spare him, putting his cigarette away after another quick puff. His face shifted slightly, but Ino knew it meant that play time was over. "I believe you came here for a mission, and not to fight with my sister. Correct, Shikamaru-san?" He asked politely, changing the course of the conversation.

The environment turned formal as the details of the scrolls and what was occurring was formally explained and the medical information was passed to the Kazekage, who quickly sent it off to the hospital. Team Asuma was informed that for security precautions, they would be receiving their scrolls from Chiyo's archives before they left and not at the moment. They agreed and the diplomatic portion of the conversation was fulfilled.

"I offer you my village for the night. I hope this does not hinder your plans." Gaara spoke formally as Kazekage.

Shikamaru lazily shook his head. "No, it does not. We thank you for the hospitality. I assume the rooms are in the same building as usual?" Not far from where the tower was a small building filled with rooms meant for visiting shinobi.

Gaara nodded. "Of course. However, I would want to make sure you know that I will be unavailable after 8 p.m., as prior plans have already been scheduled." Ino's ears perked up. 8 p.m? Subtle way of letting her in on the plans. She would have some time to see the sights, then prepare for their date. However, Temari looked annoyed.

"Seriously, you didn't have these prior plans set up a week ago. You know we had been planning something for tonight. Would you mind telling your sister what they are?" Ino wondered about those prior plans.

Gaara looked seriously at his sister. "They are private, and only privy to myself and those involved. I apologize for them interrupting your plans, but they were set months ago, as I have explained. I have already mentioned that your plans for tonight can simply be had tomorrow night, and it would matter little. Temari, please escort our visitors to the barracks we have for them and help them as needed. Nothing here requires your attention at the moment." He was very direct and final in his statement.

With a sigh, Temari began to walk out of the room through Team Asuma. "Come with me to your barracks." She said in a phony, official sounding voice. The trio followed, with Ino getting in a last glance to Gaara before she turned to follow. She saw that Gaara was glancing as her as well, and the ghost of a smile was on his face. She couldn't wait to see him that night.

The hours passed, and 8 p.m. was approaching fast. Ino took full advantage of the shower in the barracks, letting the water and body wash sink into her skin as she wanted to look and smell nice on the date that night. Her mind, as it had been doing often the last few days, wandered to Gaara and his new habit of smoking. She couldn't help but feel guilty in a sense, at least to Temari. She hated smoking already, it coming from Shikamaru, and now her brother was doing it. However, she wanted to be sure that she wouldn't find out... for the rest of the trip. She would say ever, but it was unlikely if this got to be serious. But things came into her mind, such as his possible smoker's breath. She had heard from Kurenai about how Asuma's breathe sometimes bothered her, but Gaara had been smoking at most three months. She was certain that if they kissed, it would still be enjoyable. As she got out of her shower, she was admiting to herself that she was hoping she would get to test her theory out tonight.

Thankful for her private room in the barracks, Ino spent a few minutes on her hair. Some girls spent hours, but Ino had it down to a science. A reasonably fast paced brush through her long hair, her special dry conditioner to make sure it stayed beautiful, double-check about split end, and craft it into her signature ponytail. She never knew when she had to go out on a mission, so she had to be quick if she wanted to be stylish. That mentality screamed diva to some, but for Ino it was natural. Why go half-ass when you could have it all? Checking her clock and realizing it was 10 until 8, she grabbed her scroll from her bag, explicitly marked "Not for Suna, for Ino" on it and popped it open. She put on her nice dependable black bra and panties (she didn't want to go sexy since she knew it wouldn't go that far, but did not want anything ratty or unflattering in case an incident arose.) She slid on her tight pair of black pants that hugged her right and fit on her hips perfectly, and put on her off shoulder sweater. Then, carefully, she put on the gold necklace that she had gotten from her father. She walked back into the bathroom and checked herself out to make sure everything looked right. And it did. She smiled, and went back to put on her perfect purple heels. Just as she was making sure everything was in place, she heard a knock on the door. Thankfully, she could look through the door eyehole to make sure it wasn't Shikamaru or Choji or Temari going to ask her something and would ask about this outfit. But she looked through and, in the maroon tunic and an oddly cute nervous look on his face, stood the Kazekage. She took a deep breath, and let it exhale. She was ready for this. She opened the door to greet her.

"Hello Gaara. I hope you've been doing well."

"Hello Ino. I hope the same for you."

The two looked at each other before Ino began to chuckle. Gaara raised a very thin eyebrow, but Ino quickly explained. "I'm sorry, but that sounded a little awkward. Not at all like a date."

Gaara frowned slightly. "Well, this is my first date. It is not like I am used to them."

Ino just gave him a smile. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I won't lie, I've been on a few dates before, but they all sucked. Hopefully this one doesn't." She put her arm out there, in order to be escorted. She figured Gaara would understand. "So, where is this dinner being held?"

Gaara did understand, and linked his arms with hers. "On the top of my tower. Tonight is a beautiful night, it would be a waste to spend it indoors." They started walking out of the barracks.

Ino had been hoping he would say "It's a secret" or something romantically cliché like that, but this was good too. "I agree. So, how have you been?" She asked sincerely.

Gaara let out a sigh. "The village has been-" Ino put a finger over his lips in a manner probably a bit too familiar.

"I didn't ask how Suna was doing. I can look around and see the people and see that they are happy. I'm asking how Gaara has been doing." She wanted to get to know the real Gaara, not the Kazekage or his mask.

Gaara looked surprised, but answered. "Then I am happy. I feel one with this village. So if it is doing well, I am doing well."

Ino shook her head slightly. "It sounds like you are a workaholic." She bluntly told him.

Gaara could only nod. "Perhaps I am. But for tonight, I think I can take a break from the village."

Ino let a small smile creep onto her lips. "Good. I want your attention on me. I don't want you to take this date half-heartedly."

"Of course. Why would I be half-hearted when a beauty is before me." Gaara complimented Ino, making her blush. They began to descend the stairs, and two unnoticed doors shut.

"Ino was with Gaara? When did that happen?" Choji asked his teammate, Shikamaru. He had been asked randomly at 8pm on the dot to look into the hallway, and had seen his teammate be dragged away by the Kazekage while wearing clothes for a date!

Shikamaru let out a yawn and shrugged. "I didn't actually think it was anything, but even I can be wrong. So Ino has a date with Gaara-san? Good for her. I think he is a better guy than that Sai guy or Sasuke are for her." He noted.

Choji just shook his head. "This means two of my teammates are with people from Suna. What are the odds?" Shikamaru looked annoyed at the accusation.

In the other closing door, Kankuro shielded himself from his sister's blows as he had something to a similar effect. "Hey, come on, you know it's true! Stop hitting me with the fan."

Temari stopped for a moment pummeling him with a smaller fan and frowned at him. "Oh come on, you are tougher than that. You're a shinobi, aren't you?"

Kankuro took this moment to smile. "You didn't deny it, Temari. Oh should I say, Temari Nara. Wait, stop it, it still hurts." Temari had continued her assault on her brother. He eventually managed to catch the small fan when he was blocking himself. "Come on, sis. Anyway, shouldn't we be following them or something. We had the party planned out and everything!"

Temari stopped and let out a sigh, looking at the door and the direction her youngest brother had gone. They had been following him for an hour to see where he was going, and to find him at the Yamanaka's barrack room, ready for a date? That was a giant surprise. Eventually she waved it off.

"Nah, we should let them be in private. I mean, letting him have some alone time with his girlfriend is the best birthday present we can give him, can't we?"

Kankuro nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's right." Gaara deserved to be happy in his eyes.

And right now, with Ino, he was the happiest he had ever seen him.


End file.
